To Protect the Future
by Luna Dragneel 01
Summary: Trying to set aside his nightmares of a dying Lucy, Natsu is determined to set things back to normal, with Fairy Tail the top guild in Fiore once again. But when a new threat arrives, intent on stealing the power of the only two true Celestial Spirit mages to open a gate to the underworld, what will their guild have to sacrifice in order to protect their country yet again?
1. Chapter 1

Lucy had been a member of Fairy Tail for a long time now. The daily fights and arguments, every day life. She'd even willingly participated in a few, though if Erza, Natsu, or Gajeel got involved, she'd run for the door. No way was she risking her life for a bit of fun. Most of the time though, she preferred to sit at the bar, talking with Mirajane and Levy. The three young women talked about everything; clothes, magic, and especially the boys. They loved poking fun at each other, though somehow, Mira was always able to deflect most of that sort of talk away from her back onto the other two. It was on a warm Spring day when Lucy met Levy at the bar, and Mira was no where in sight.

"Is Mira not here today?" Lucy asked, sliding into the seat next to her best friend.

"I haven't seen her. Elfman and Lisanna are here, so she's probably not on a job." Levy replied. "I suppose she could just have a...a day off, or something."

"You think so?" Lucy couldn't imagine Mira ever even wanting a day off. The guild was her favorite place to be. It was rare to see her somewhere other than behind the counter, smiling and laughing with everyone from the guild.

Levy just shrugged. "I don't really have any idea. Maybe she's just on an errand for the master."

"Hmm...maybe..." The two mages, though still curious, dropped the subject and went on to talk about books they had recently read.

As the two young women laughed and talked, the front door flew open and a frantic Natsu rushed in. He stopped in the door way and looked around the guild hall.

"Oi, Natsu! Don't just shove doors open like that!" Grey called from a table by the door. "You co-eh...?" The genuinely panicked expression on Natsu's face stopped him short. It only lasted a second thought, as he seemed to find what he was looking for over by the bar, and the panicked demeanor turned abruptly to the murderous expression he usually wore when fighting with the ice mage.

"What did you say, ice brain!?" Natsu growled, flames wrapped around his clenched fists.

"I said, don't go around throwing open doors like an idiot, idiot!" Grey snarled, shoving his face into Natsu's. That was all it took before the two were rolling around on the floor, throwing punches and kicks.

Happy, who was content to sit by and eat the fish he held in his paws, flew over to the bar by Lucy and settled in to watch the fight. "Go Natsu!" He called around a mouthful of fish.

"Oh, hi, Happy." Lucy smiled, turning around towards the brawl on the floor. "Natsu's here, huh? Great! I picked out a job. I want to get going soon."

"What kind of job? Do we get fish!?"

"Eh...I...don't think so." Lucy sighed. "It's a request to find a spell to fix things. Not really the usual for us, but I decided to branch out a bit." She smiled triumphantly. "Besides, part of the reward is a gate key."

"Which one? Is it a fish!?"

"I don't know which one. It's not a zodiac key. Just a minor one, probably one I could buy, but it's still so exciting!" Lucy clapped her hands together and giggled. "Come on, I want to head out early." She stood and headed towards the fight between the ice mange and the dragon slayer, dodging the occasional chair thrown across the guild hall. "Hey! Natsu!"

"Eh?" Natsu froze in place and looked up at Lucy, just in time to get socked in the face by Grey. "Oi, you bastard..." Natsu kicked him across the room and turned to face Lucy, sitting cross legged. "What's up, Lucy?"

"I picked us a job." Lucy replied, handing him the request.

"...Looking for a spell? That sounds boring..." Natsu pouted, turning away.

"So? I want an easy one for once. You always pick ones where we end up destroying half a village or run for our lives half the time." She sighed dramatically. "One of these jobs you pick is going to get us killed one day." She giggles, but Natsu looked like she just smacked him. He stands quickly and steps close to her.

"I'll never let that happen."

Lucy gulped and looked up at him. His dark eyes and stern expression scared her a bit. "...eh?"

"Fine. We'll go on your boring job." In one second, he reverted back to his usual carefree self. "C'mon!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door, ignoring Grey's furious shouts to 'come back and finish what you started!'

_I wonder what that was about..._ Lucy thought to herself, staring at the back of Natsu's head has he pulled her through town.

The job took them longer than expected. When Lucy, Natsu, and Happy had arrived at the client's house, they were confronted with the information that the client was actually after a specific spell. A spell which happened to be written in one book. A book which conveniently had been hidden in a ruin in the forest outside of Magnolia. All three mages shared a collective groan when the sun set, and they still hadn't found the ruins the client had mentioned.

"Guess we're spending the night." Natsu said, dropping his pack under a particularly large evergreen tree.

"Huh? What do you- EH!?" Lucy exclaimed. "Wait! You don't mean sleeping outside in the middle of a forest filled with vulcans and other monsters, do you?" She groaned. "Ah...who am I kidding. Of course you do." A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she propped her fists on her hips. "Fine. I'll gather some firewood. You and Happy should catch some fish for dinner."

"Aye!" The blue cat flew into the air, as happy as Happy could be.

Natsu grinned at the Exceed, "I bet I'll catch a bigger fish than you, Happy!"

"No way. I am the fishing master. No one can catch fish bigger than me!" The two best friends ran off towards the river they had passed a little while ago, and Lucy walked around their 'camp ground' collecting small branches for firewood.


	2. Chapter 2

_"It's you. Lucy Heartfilia!" The black shadow blade cut through the air. Faster than the eye could follow, but he watched it pass. Every painful millisecond. He was submerged in water. No, in molasses. It felt so slow. But in reality, it moved fast. Faster than he could move. Faster than she could react. It closed the distance to her within the space of 1.67 seconds. The sound. Dear God, he'd never forget the sound. She didn't scream. She didn't cry out. Most people would have hardly heard the soft, breathless "Oh..." that escaped her lips. But he was a dragon slayer. He heard the soft rip as the blade pierced her skin. Every individual crack as it shattered her bones. The dull thud as it made its way home, buried in the center of her chest._

_The sound of his heart shattering._

_'No. This wasn't supposed to happen. This is wrong.' "LUCY!" He'd never screamed so loud. Loud enough to rip his vocal cords, but he took no notice. All there was was Lucy. Dying before his eyes. With him powerless to stop it._

_When he finally reached her. He gathered her limp body into his arms. 'No no no no no no nonononononononono!' She coughed, a horrible, wet, hacking sound, and blood ran down her chin. The bright light in her eyes was fading. He watched, horrified, as all the curiosity, love, joy, pain, and wonder slowly disappeared._

_"...Na...ts..." The light disappeared, and her once vibrant brown eyes were dull, empty, fixed into place. Her body dead weight in his arms._

_"LUCYYYYY!"_

_"Why, Natsu?" He spun around. Lucy was behind him, wrapped in a black cloak and staring at him with those dead eyes. "You let this happen. You let me die."_

_"NO! No I'd never-"_

_"This is your fault. You let me die. You killed me." Everything was going black. All that remained were him and the ghost Lucy standing in front of him. "This is your fault. Your fault. Your fault! Your Fault! YOUR FAULT! YOUR FAULT! YOUR FAULT!"_

Natsu sat up with a jolt. Sweat pouring down his body. The image of Lucy's dead eyes seared into his brain. In a panic, he turned towards Lucy. For one heartbeat, his breath caught in his throat when he saw her lying there, eyes shut, mouth parted slightly, still as a frozen lake. Only once she took a breath was he able to breathe again himself.

He took a few moments to collect his thoughts and sort through his memories before getting up and wandering off towards the river. Lucy wasn't dead. The Lucy from the future had died, but _his_ Lucy was still here.

_When did I start thinking of her as _my_ Lucy?_

When the Fairy Tail mages had returned from the capital, things had seemed to go back to normal. Everyone was happy, everyone partied, everyone fought. Everything was the way it was supposed to be. But a few days later, the nightmares had started. At first they were just memories. Moments that had not necessarily scared him, but made him nervous. Then they'd gotten worse, with Future Lucy's death repeating itself. Now, they had developed into an alternate version of the truth. One Lucy. One Lucy who always ended up dead.

Though she'd never came back to accuse him like this before. This one was new. But the panic was the same. Waking in the middle of the night, covered in sweat, convinced Lucy was dead. He tried ignoring it the first few nights, but as they grew worse and worse, he'd resort to visiting Lucy's house at three in the morning just to check. Just to make sure she was alright.

"Damn it!" He cursed, punching the nearest tree.

"Natsu?" A sleepy Happy walked up behind him, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry, Happy."

"Did you have another nightmare?" Happy was the only one who knew. Hell, he'd never actually consider telling anyone else. He probably wouldn't have even told Happy had they not lived together. Hard not to notice when your bed mate was soaking the bed in sweat and jolting awake to wander around every night in a panic.

"Ya, but it's fine. Just a dream, right?" He turned around and gave Happy a big smile. He didn't want his best friend to worry.

"Maybe you should talk about it with someone. Maybe the master has a spell that will stop them or something." Happy was genuinely concerned. He'd never seen Natsu like this before. Even when Lisanna 'died' he'd never wake up screaming in the middle of the night. He supposed the difference was that Lisanna hadn't died right before his eyes.

"Nah. They're just dreams. They ain't real." He ruffled the fur on the top of the blue Exceed's head. "Dreams can't hurt me."

But they did. The lack of sleep was just starting to show. The deep bags under his eyes were becoming permanent. He was growing thin, though not too noticeably. Even his magic was weakening. More due to lack of mental concentration than any physical weakness.

Even his fights with Grey were becoming less and less enthusiastic. He hoped no one had noticed, but he was pretty sure at least Grey and Erza had. And he almost didn't care, just as long as Lucy never noticed. He cursed himself over and over for the small slip up the day before. He knew she'd noticed something off, when the playful spark in her eyes had been pushed out by a smidgen of concern, and, what he hated himself for, fear. He hadn't meant to scare her, but she'd so flippantly made that one little comment. One most people make some time in her life as a thoughtless joke. But when _Lucy _had said it, it brought every image of her, lying on the ground, lifeless, flashing before his eyes. Images from both real life, and his nightmares. He couldn't stop the outburst. He should apologize. Heck, he wanted to. But what he didn't want was drawing her attention to how off he'd been feeling since...then.

She was his best friend. He knew that she knew something was going on, but he desperately wanted to keep it from her. No use getting her pissed off at him for worrying about something as stupid as something that didn't and _wasn't_ going to happen. Besides, no way did he want to face off with a truly pissed off Lucy. She could rival Erza when it came to pure intimidation.

"Natsu..." Happy said, still worried about his best friend.

"Come on, let's get back to bed." Natsu gave him a genuine smile and headed back for their camp.

_I'll never let Lucy get hurt._ He thought to himself during the short walk back. _I'll protect her with everything I've got._ The thought calmed him a bit as he crawled into his sleeping bag. Just before falling asleep, he took one last long look at the Celestial Spirit mage sleeping near. "...Night, Luce."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **

**Hey there guys, just wanted to let you in on a little secret... I won't always update this fast. Sorry guys, I just don't normally have this much time TnT especially now that I'm hopefully starting my new job soon. College, two jobs, and cosplaying take up tons of time. But I promise I'll work on this whenever I get a spare second.**

**As for personal request from my wonderful readers :D Please message me or review on how you think the story is progressing. I truly want to know whether you guys find it moving too fast, too slow, if you think my characters are cannon enough. Everything. This story will always be a work in progress, and it's also a learning experience for me as to what fantasy readers like in a story. So please REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D**

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><p>Sunlight beamed down in patches through the tree above them. Soft mist curling and twisting in the rays of warmth. Birds chirped their morning songs, and insects buzzed lazily through the trees.<p>

Lucy's eyes opened slowly, taking in the beautiful morning. She took a deep breath, sucking in the pure, clean forest air. As she awoke further, she noticed something around her waist and pressing against her head. Looking down, she saw Natsu's muscular arm wrapped tightly around her middle, holding her close. Lucy froze. Natsu was curled around her, face pressed against her hair, and holding her tightly. He was so close, she could even feel his heartbeat against her back.

Bu-dum.

Bu-dum.

"NATSUUUU!"

Natsu jerked awake. In half a second, he was sitting up, curled protectively over Lucy. "Wh-what!? What's hap-oof..." He sailed across the camp when Lucy kicked him off her.

"DON'T MOLEST PEOPLE WHEN THEY'RE SLEEPING! PERVERT!" Lucy was bright red and mad as hell.

Natsu sat up and rubbed the back of his head where he'd hit a tree. "Geez, Lucy. What's the big deal? I sleep in your bed all the time at home."

"And when have I ever actually allowed it!?"

Natsu just sat with his legs crossed and pouted.

Still fuming, the Celestial Spirit mage started gathering up her sleeping bag. "Well?"

Natsu looked up at her, questioningly, still wary of her tone. "...Well...well what?"

She grumbled. "Well let's get going. My rent's due in a week, and I need to finish this job soon."

"Alright!" The Dragon Slayer shouted, jumping to his feet and hurrying to pack his bag. "Come on, Happy. Let's get going."

The little blue Exceed opened his mouth wide in a yawn. "I'm tired..."

Lucy gave him a look half way between caring and irritation. "Why? We slept for a good while."

Happy mumbled sleepily, "Natsu woke me up. He had a-" The sleepy feline was cut off as Natsu slapped his hand over his mouth.

Lucy narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Had a what?"

"Nothing." Natsu gave her a big smile. "Come on. Are we going or what?"

She glared at him suspiciously for a while before shrugging. She was still mad at him, but honestly didn't want to get into a fight with him this early in the morning.

It took the team a few hours to locate the ruins the client had told them about, and another half hour to find the book. By the time they were headed back to the client's house, Lucy was in a much better mood.

The team was half way back, and talking about nothing in particular, when Natsu stopped in his tracks.

"Natsu?"

"I smell-" Natsu was cut off as a large forest vulcan crashed through the brush.

"Woman! Woman! Woman!" The beast chanted, reaching for Lucy.

"KYAAA!" Lucy dodged out of reach.

"Lucy!" Happy grabbed the back of her shirt and flew with her out of the vulcan's grasp.

Natsu jumped in front of the purple and green monkey beast with a large grin on his face. "Alright! I was wondering when I'd get some action." Fire swirled around his clenched fist as he leaped at the forest vulcan. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"

With just one punch, the vulcan sailed through several trees and crashed agains a large boulder, down for the count with stars twinkling in it's eyes.

"Haha! Take that, you pervy monkey!"

Happy set Lucy down next to Natsu.

"Um...Natsu?" Lucy said in a very defeated tone.

"Ya?"

"YOU WENT OVERBOARD AGAIN, YOU IDIOT!" Lucy smacked him hard on the back of his head. Quite a large area of forest had been charred, and around twenty or so trees had been knocked down by the flying forest vulcan.

Natsu grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "...Sorry..."

Lucy truly had no clue what to do with him. "Might as well hurry up and finish this job before you can destroy anything else..." She sighed.

A dark chuckle emanated from a charred tree behind them. "Oh this turned into a _wonderful_ day..."

Natsu, Lucy, and Happy spun around, searching for the source of the smooth voice. Standing on a burnt limb, high in an evergreen tree, was a man with pure white hair, gathered into a low ponytail. He was dressed in silver and black, a scarf covering most of his face. All they could see were gleaming purple eyes peaking out from under his fringe.

"Who the hell are you?" Natsu stepped forward aggressively.

The man chuckled darkly again. "My name isn't important. However, I could tell you if you answer one question." They couldn't see it, but they felt a cold grin growing on his face.

"And what is that?" Lucy asked, stepping up next to Natsu.

"It's really more of a demand, actually." The man replied.

"Spit it out, already!" Natsu was getting irritated. He knew this guy was up to no good. He just couldn't tell what yet.

"Tell me where the Celestial Spirit mage, Lucy of Fairy Tail is."

Natsu's eyes narrowed. "...why?" The way Natsu uttered that one word terrified Lucy. He sounded so cold and menacing.

"Now why would I tell you that?" The man seemed to float down to the ground by the tree. "Let's put it this way: you can tell me willingly..." He stepped forward slowly. "Or I can beat it out of you."

Instinctively, Lucy reached for her keys. Realizing, too late, that in doing so, she gave herself away. She prayed he wouldn't notice.

The man's eyes flicked over to her, and his eyes crinkled into a truly evil grin. "Oh this really _is_ a perfect day..."

Lucy paled.

Natsu stepped in front of her, pushing her back. "Get out of here, Luce. Happy. Take Lucy back to the guild."

"Natsu, I'm not leaving you here alone with this guy. I can help." She stepped up next to him again, smiling. "Remember? It's more fun when we're together."

Natsu glanced down at her, a grin pulling at his lips. "...Ya. You're right, partner."

"Besides. We're Fairy Tail. We protect our own and never run from a fight." She grabbed a key from her belt and held it in front of her. "Open! Gate of the-"

What she was about to say was cut off as, quicker than either of them had expected, the mystery man had flown at her. Before even Natsu had a chance to react, the man grabbed Lucy's wrist, twisted, pulled, and shoved her forward, while at the same time, jumping over her and forcefully hitting her square between her shoulder blades. A large, silver magic circle appeared the moment his hand came into contact with her back, propelling her even further forward. The man then continued on, launching himself into the trees and away from the team as fast as the wind. Lucy, being forced along by the momentum of his strike, hit the ground hard and rolled a few times before coming to a stop.

"Lucy!" Natsu rushed over to his fallen partner, the nightmares again flashing through his mind. Before he reached her, however, she grunted and pushed herself up onto her hands and knees. "Lucy? Are you...what happened?" He knelt next to her.

"I dunno. He didn't...do anything." She was utterly bemused, sitting back on her heals. "Who the hell was that?" The whole experience really freaked her out. Some random guy coming along, threatening them to find _her_ of all people, pushing her into the dirt before even Natsu knew he'd moved, then just running off. Strangely enough, it shook her up more than anyone who'd beaten the crap out of her. "Let's...let's just deliver the book and go home."

Natsu looked down at her, hating how nervous she looked. "Sure thing!" He forced a smile for her and helped her up.

_Whoever that guy was,_ Natsu thought to himself while acting normal to try to put Lucy at ease. _He's going to regret scaring her like that._


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, sorry about the wait. Work and school got me goin crazy.**

**Please review :D**

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><p>A certain blue haired Script mage was sitting at her usual table, flipping through a new book with her two team mates on either side of her. The guild hall was a bit quieter that usual, with Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and Cana all out on missions. It seemed as though most of the guild could get along nicely without those rowdy mages to cause trouble. Despite the nice break in guild noise that was perfect for reading, Levy had to admit that it just wasn't right. She hoped they'd all come back soon.<p>

She was just getting into a new chapter when someone clunked a huge book on the table and sat across from her.

"Hey, shrimp. You got a second?"

Levy looked up at the Iron Dragon Slayer and glanced down at the book. It was old. Very old. The leather bound cover was coated in a permanent layer of dust and grime, while the pages were a dark yellow from aging. It looked as though just touching it could make it dissolve into dust.

"What's this?" The script mage asked, setting her book aside and delicately pulling the decrepit tome towards her.

"A book."

Levy looked up at him, eyebrow raised. "Um...ya. I see that. What did you want me to do with it?"

"The client from my last job gave it to me. Said it was useless to him since he couldn't read it anyway."

"He...gave you a book? Why?"

"Well I...I may have...mentioned...that someone at my guild was obs-...liked books and was a script mage...so...I guess he just thought...maybe you might be able to read it and...you'd like it." While he spoke, Gajeel looked away, cheeks tinged a light pink.

Levy blushed. "O-oh...um...that's...that's really...nice of him." As she looked down at the book, the guild hall doors opened with a bang.

"WE'RE HOOOOOOME!"

Half the guild turned to face the doors, smiles on their faces as they knew the quiet afternoon had finally come to an end.

"Hey, Natsu."

"Welcome back guys."

"What did you guys destroy this time?"

Lucy hung her head at the last question put forward by Bisca. "...About a quarter of a forest..." She mumbled quietly and ashamed. The guild burst out laughing.

"Nice going, Flametard!" Grey called from across the guild. That started it. Within several moments, most of the guild had started in on one of the bigger fights that week.

Lucy crawled along the outer walls of the guild to reach the bar in one piece where she sat at her usual seat and sighed.

Mira came over giggling. "The guild was too quiet without you two here."

"Quiet? This place?" Lucy grumbled, pressing her forehead against the bar. "You're joking."

"She's right." Levy said, sliding into the seat next to her best friend. "There hasn't been a single fight since you, Natsu, and Happy left yesterday."

"Speaking of yesterday, where were you, Mira?" Lucy asked, tilting her head up to the now blushing Take-Over mage.

"Oh...uh...nowhere in particular. Just...took a day off."

Levy smirked. "You never take days off, Mira. Spill."

"I'll tell after you tell us what you and Gajeel were talking about over there." Mira grinned in a way that said 'beware' to everyone who knew her. Levy blushed bright pink.

"Nothing. He just...the client from his last job had a book he didn't want anymore so...he just...he mentioned that I liked reading so...he gave it to me."

Lucy smirked at her. Not forgetting Mira, of course. "So he was thinking of you on his job, huh?"

"L-Lu-chan!"

Mira and Lucy dissolved into giggles. It was then that Gajeel came up to the bar holding the book in question.

"You left your book at the table... What?" He looked between the giggling girls and a blushing Levy.

Lucy suddenly gasped. "Mira!" She grabbed the hand Mira was using to stifle her giggles and stared, dumbstruck at a small, yellow diamond ring on her ring finger. "HE PROPOSED!?"

Over at a corner table that had been claimed by the Thunder God Tribe, Laxus' eyes snapped open, and he froze.

Lucy's outburst managed to gather the attention of most everyone in the guild. The group fighting stopped to look over at the four mages by the bar.

"M-Mira! How did...when...what...?" Levy was stunned out of her mind and trying to put words together while Lucy and Gajeel just stared, dumbfounded at Mira's hand.

By then, most of the guild was gathered around the group at the bar, packing themselves in tight to see the sparkling diamond on the bar maid's left hand.

"Hey! What's going on? Who did what?" Natsu's voice could be heard yelling over the clamor. Lucy mentally face-palmed.

"Laxus proposed to Mira, Natsu." She groaned at his blank expression.

"Proposed? Like...what kind?"

"They're getting married, flame brain." Grey said.

Natsu's eyes widened in sudden understanding. "Woa! Seriously? Where is Laxus?"

Everyone looked around and the Lightning Dragon Slayer in question froze by the doors, obviously trying to sneak out without anyone noticing.

Attempting to put on his usual uninterested expression, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame. "I don't see what the big deal is..."

"Wait." Gajeel spoke up. "How long has this been going on?"

All the guild members started murmuring together, trying to find out if someone, anyone, had noticed the two becoming closer.

"Actually, I haven't noticed anything lately."

"Me neither. Have they been going out?"

"Figures Mira would be the only one who could have a secret relationship."

"Juvia wishes Grey-sama secretly loved her too."

"I cant' believe he got himself hitched before I even got a girlfriend."

The chatter went on for a good half hour before Bisca noticed the couple trying to sneak out the back door.

"Not yet, you two! We need to celebrate!"

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><p><strong>So it's rather short and not very exciting, but I had fun writing it. Guess you guys can tell who I ship now. More or less. This does take place after the GMG and the Eclipse Gate, but before the Demon thingy arc that's currently out. But I decided on establishing a couple relationships just so no Every. Single. Relationship. is being built in this. Not. Fun. Too much work, and not really realistic. I'll try my best to keep things cannon though. SOOOOO enjoy! :D<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Whelp...another short chapter. Sorry guys. It's late, I'm tired, and I have a HUGE Japanese test tomorrow...So this was kind of a stress reliever chapter :) But I hope you enjoy.**

**Keep Reviewing!**

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><p>2:00 A.M<p>

Lucy sat up with a yawn and looked around. She was still in the guild hall. Everyone was. The celebration over Mira and Laxus' engagement had lasted hours before people started passing out all over the tables and floor. She was a little embarrassed to be one of them, but she was still too happy for Mira to care much. Lucy looked around for the special couple and smiled when she found them in the corner, leaning against the wall fast asleep. Mira's head rested on Laxus' shoulder and his head was resting on hers. It made everyone laugh that Laxus was actually embarrassed over the fuss. Before the Thunder Palace incident, he would have loved to hog the lime light. Now, though, he was content at hiding in corners, avoiding attention all together.

The Celestial Spirit mage sighed as she stood. She still hadn't been home yet to unpack after her and Natsu's job. Plus, her rent was do that day. Thankful that the pink haired mage was still passed out on the floor by Grey (no unwelcome visits tonight), she collected her bag from the front door and made her way home in the darkness.

2:14 A.M.

Natsu sat up lightning quick, sweating, eyes wide. Another nightmare. He looked around frantically for his partner, panicking when he couldn't see her among their guild mates strewn across the guild hall.

_Lucy! Where's Lucy!?_ He tried to tell himself it was just a dream, but it wasn't registering. He had to find her. He stood and sucked in a deep breath through his nose, searching for her scent. She wasn't in the hall. Looking over by the door, he noticed her suitcase gone.

_Please be home, please be home._ He chanted in his mind as he raced out the doors.

Happy, being woken by Natsu as he opened the doors, sat up and rubbed his eyes. Then he saw it. Natsu's face. Pale, panicked, and tear stained. Natsu never cried. The last time he saw tears on Natsu's face was when...

_So that's what his nightmares are about._ Unable to stand it anymore, he flew over to Erza who was passed out sitting at the bar.

"Erza." Happy called quietly, shaking her shoulder. "Erza, wake up." Fear of a scary Erza made him cautious, but his worry over his best friend over came that fear. He had to tell someone. "Erza, something's wrong with Natsu."

Back in her apartment, Lucy was sitting at her desk, jotting down some quick notes for her novel before going back to bed. She yawned widely and stretched her arms above her head, leaning back, when an unexpected, and uninvited guest hopped through her window.

"Yo! Lucy!"

"NATSU!" She screamed, quickly gathering up all her notes and stuffing them out of sight.

"What? I wa-" The pink haired intruder suddenly froze, nostrils flared, pupils dilated.

"I've told you thousands of times not to just barge in here! And why is it so impossible to just use the front door!?" Lucy ranted, oblivious to Natsu's reaction.

"...Lucy?"

"Go home, Natsu."

"Lucy."

"Why don't you ever leave me alone for ten minutes? I'm a woman who needs her space every once in a-"

"LUCY!" She froze and blinked. Natsu never yelled. Not at her. Once she took a look at him, she noticed something off.

"...what?"

"How long have you been here?"

"What? What do you mean? You were the one who brought me to Magnolia. You should-"

"No. When did you get home tonight?"

"Tonight? Just...probably a half hour ago. Why? Natsu, what's going on?"

Natsu looked around the room, looking closely at everything. "...He was here..."

"He was...Wait, what? Who was here?"

"That guy from the forest. He was in your room."

The Celestial Spirit mage froze, eyes widening. Now she was scared. Really scared. She hadn't forgotten what had happened earlier that day, but all the excitement at the guild had helped her push it out of her mind for a while. He was in her room? How? Why? And how did he even know where she lived? Where was he now? What did he want? She started shaking slightly. Not really knowing why he made her so nervous. It was probably the fact that he made a rather large deal about finding her, only to smack her on the back and run off. That seriously wasn't normal.

"Pack some stuff, Lucy."

"...Huh?" Lucy blinked and looked up at Natsu. His back was to her, but she could tell he was tense as a wooden board.

"Pack some stuff. You're not staying here."

She wasn't going to argue with that. A creepy guy from a forest had been in her room? No thanks. She'd stay somewhere else that night.

"Um...ok. But...where should I stay then? I can't afford a dorm at Fairy Hills."

"Then you'll stay with me." Normally she would have fought that one, but considering the circumstances, and the way Natsu was acting, she decided to just accept it. At least for that night. She nodded, even knowing he couldn't see her, and repacked some necessary supplies in her suitcase.

"Natsu?"

"...Ya?"

"...I'm scared." She hated admitting that. She sounded so weak. She hated sounding weak. Especially to Natsu. He was always saving her ass.

"Don't worry, Luce." He turned around and gave her his trademark crooked, carefree grin. "Nothin's gonna happen to ya." And she believed him. In that moment, she didn't care that he was protecting her again. Protecting her from something she couldn't protect herself from. Because this was Natsu. Her best friend. Her closest _nakama_. She could trust him. And she did, with her whole heart, as he walked with her back to his little house.

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><p><strong>Well there it is. Not too sure about that ending, but like I said. It's late. Anyway, onto review responses :D<strong>

**SilverGhost: Lolz. of course. Laxus would NOT appreciate that sort of attention :P**

**elizabethbane: I had to put that one in there. It's one of my favorite ships 3 But I'm glad that's how you feel. If I'm going to be honest, that was my intention with the placement of this chapter. This story isn't just about Lucy and Natsu. It's about Fairy Tail. Plus some new friends from a certain guild...;) And as for Lucy...Well...you'll just have to wait and see. Though I'm thinking you might be able to guess what happened from this chapter. I have a feeling you're pretty intuitive.**

**That's all for now, my little pumpkins. See you next chapter ;D**


	6. Chapter 6

Later that morning found Erza and Happy waiting slightly impatiently at the guild for Natsu. It was almost noon, and the Dragon Slayer hadn't shown up yet. Neither had Lucy, but no one thought much of that considering the party the night before. Erza sat there, arms crossed, ignoring the noise and fuss around her. Happy had explained Natsu's strange behavior, or at least his theory behind it. She'd known something was up, but had no idea what it could have been. At least until now.

_"Erza." Happy called quietly, shaking her shoulder. "Erza, wake up." The Re-quip mage stirred slightly, cracking her eyes open to look at the blue Exceed. "Erza, something's wrong with Natsu."_

_"Wrong with Natsu? What do you mean?" She'd asked, sitting up and looking around for the mage in question. Where was he?_

_"You had to have noticed too, Erza. He's not right."_

_And she had noticed. The growing bags under his eyes, how he seemed to shuffle his feet more, the paleness, his loosing weight, how he'd randomly become panicked and looked around as though searching for something. None of it was startlingly obvious, but just enough for those who knew him best to notice._

_"I have noticed...But I don't really have an idea as to what's wrong. Besides," She said, laying her head back on the bar and closing her eyes. "This is Natsu. He'll tell us when he's ready."_

_"He's having nightmares about Lucy dying."_

_Erza sat back up with a start. "W-what? Lucy?"_

_The cat nodded. "I think about when Future Lucy died. I think that's what they're about."_

_The scarlet haired mage thought about it. No one other than Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Happy, and Carla knew exactly what happened when the Lucy from the future had died. And none of them would talk about it. Everyone had assumed it was for Lucy's sake. Watching yourself die had to be scaring. But maybe it was something else entirely? What if Natsu somehow blamed himself?_

_Things started falling into place. Now that she made the connection, Natsu always looked his worst when Lucy was not around. He let his guard slip ever so slightly, but the second she came around, he seemed his usual, rather crazy, self._

If that were the case, Erza highly doubted the Dragon Slayer would ever open up to anyone about it. Hence the attack squad waiting for him. Grey had been filled in as well, and positioned by the door to alert the two at the bar when he approached.

Just as they were about to give up and start searching for him, the mage they were waiting for slipped surprisingly quietly through the guild doors, pulling a nervous looking Lucy by the hand.

"Oi, Natsu." Grey called. Natsu didn't even look his way. He marched straight up to Erza at the bar (Mira was on another date with Laxus).

"Where's Gramps?" He asked. Erza frowned at his expression. He was...serious. Very serious. The only time he looked like that was when someone threatened his _nakama_.

"In his office...Natsu, we need to talk about something."

"Later." The Dragon Slayer tugged Lucy towards the stairs.

"Natsu, wait." Lucy said, pulling him to a stop. "It might be important. The Master will still be there in five minutes."

"I'm not waiting, Lucy. This is more serious."

Erza blinked. Natsu thinking something was more serious than something she wanted to talk about? She wasn't stupid. She knew the affect she had over the guild. When she said something, they listened.

"I'm talking to Gramps now. And you're not leaving my sight until we find out what the hell is going on." He started pulling her towards the stairs again, and she let him.

Something was definitely wrong. Lucy should have been fighting him. Arguing about how he always drags her around. This she had to get to the bottom of. Making eye contact with the other two in the attack group, she nodded her head after the two, indicating they were to follow.

Natsu's grip on Lucy's hand was tight, but not painfully so. In all honesty, she found it reassuring. The events of the past couple days were really freaking her out, but knowing Natsu was there helped her to keep her head on straight. The fire mage didn't even knock on the door to the Master's office. He just barged right in, startling the tiny man at the desk.

"Natsu, don't you ever knock!?" He yelled, slamming a gigantic fist over his head. Or would have, if Natsu hadn't dodged the fist and stomped up to the desk, still more serious than anyone would have thought possible.

"Someone's after Lucy. I don't know who, and I don't know why, but he attacked us during our job yesterday, and was in Lucy's room this morning."

The master's eyes narrowed slightly. Someone was after one of his children. He would not take this lightly. "You know nothing about who it is or why he's after Lucy?"

Lucy shook her head. "He never said anything about himself, and we didn't see a guild mark. But he didn't recognize me at first. He just demanded we tell him where 'The Celestial Spirit Mage, Lucy of Fairy Tail' was." Her voice was starting to shake slightly. Why now? Why at all? What was he-

The three in the office seemed to have the same thought at once. 'Celestial Spirit Mage'. They weren't after Lucy Heartfilia, they were after Lucy the Celestial Wizard.

If even possible, Natsu's scowl deepened. The damn bastard. He couldn't just be another gold digging pansy after her money. And no way was he going to let something the the infinity clock incident ever happen again. No way in hell.

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><p><strong>AN: Hey guys. sorry for the long wait and short chapter. my computer kaputzed on me and i just recently got it fixed. also, life has been kiiiiiiinda crazy lately. college, two jobs, and cosplaying make writing times few and far between. but i promise you will hardly ever have to wait this long for an update again. hopefully never, but if you subed me on youtube, you know i can't ever keep a promise like that. anyway, thanks for the favs and reviews. :) Love y'all!<strong>

** .3- Thankya so much :D and i agree. i'm surprised i haven't seen more on the subject. anyone who've even watched or read only a few episodes/chapters knows that Natsu is waaaaaay protective of his 'family' and that even if it wasn't LUCY of all people, it would still really screw him up for a while. but seeing as it WAS Lucy, i feel that a lot of authors are missing out on a golden opportunity for some great shipping fuel. of course, my fic isn't entirely Nalu based; it's (at least attempting to be) a whole fan arc. So even though Nalu is prevalent, it's not the focus.**

**nerdygirl1234- that's what i'm going for XD i'll be honest. thinking on the idea, because (and here i get into freaky detail) i really like to connect with what i write, it's kept me up at night a few times. I really prefer to put myself in the shoes of my characters (or Hiro Mashima's) in order to really get into the deep emotional side to them. So, this is kinda my way of warning y'all that my Erza might not be the best. In all honesty, i find it hard to truely connect with her and understand how she thinks. I think i've got most everyone else figured out well enough, but sorry about Erza... I might get there some day though :D**

**keep reviewing. TTYL mah lil pumpkins :)**


	7. Chapter 7

He...he was after Lucy's power? Or, wait. Maybe her keys? A few tears leaked from the corner of Lucy's eye. Gods was she scared. It was a paralyzing fear that locked up all her muscles and made her feel ill. What made it all worse, was the fact that they had no idea why. Why did they want her? Did they even want _her_?

"You said he was in her room this morning?" The master asked, thinking hard.

"Early." Lucy whispered, trying her hardest to keep the trembling unnoticeable. "It was probably around two thirty. Natsu came in and said he could smell him. We never saw him, though."

"You didn't stay there, did you?"

Natsu actually growled at him. "I'm not stupid, Gramps. I made her pack and she stayed with me last night." He looked over at Lucy who's head was down, her hair hiding her face. "But there's no way in hell she's even stepping foot back into that apartment until this is all sorted out and that guy's had his ass handed to him on a fork."

Lucy looked up at that. Something else to think on. Great. That's what she needed. "I guess I should ask some of the girls if I could stay with them, then. I can't afford a place at Fairy Hills on my own. I'll have to see if there's someone with room. I could always help with rent, of course." She rambled as she started walking towards the door. "And maybe I should let my Landlady know I won't be around for a while until- well until...ya. Oh! And I'll have to see about getting some of my things from my apartment and-" Natsu grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Luce."

She turned to look at him, a smile on her face that was only skin deep. "...yes?"

"You're gonna stay with me and Happy."

Lucy let out a false giggle. "Oh. No, I couldn't. I'd be-"

"Lucy, I didn't ask."

Her eyes widened and she looked at the floor between her shoes. "...O-oh...ok..."

Natsu and Makarov watched her for a few seconds before Natsu wrapped his arm around her shoulders and steered her towards the door.

"I'm taking her home, Gramps. We'll talk later." Natsu walked Lucy to the door.

"Natsu." Makarov said.

"Ya?"  
>"...Don't do anything stupid."<p>

Outside the door, Erza and Grey were standing against the wall, arms crossed, scowls on their faces. When Natsu and Lucy walked out, the two groups stood staring at each other for a moment.

The tension was palpable. No one wanted to say anything, fearing the others' reaction. Sounds of the guild below made their way up, adding a slightly comforting backdrop to the otherwise awkward moment.

"Grey and I will collect the necessary things from your apartment." Erza broke the silence. "And I must insist you stay with me. I cannot in good conscious let you stay with this idiot."

"Erza..." Lucy mumbled.

"No." Natsu interrupted, stepping forward. "She's staying with me. I'm not backing down on this one. I can protect her."

"You live in a tiny house in the middle of the forest, flame head." Grey said. "You think she'll be safer there than right by the guild surrounded by every other girl living in the dorms? Safer than staying with Erza?"

Natsu blinked and looked at Lucy who offered a smile in return. "I'll be alright with Erza. Don't worry about me."

"...How can I not?" _You keep smiling like that. I know it's fake. Please stop pretending._

Lucy looked at the floor. "Natsu, I'm not-"

"Come on." He said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards the back door. "Let's go get your stuff from my place and meet Erza and Ice Princess at the dorms."

Back at Natsu's house, Lucy and Natsu were packing the Celestial mage's suitcase. The silence that hung over them was almost suffocating. Natsu didn't say anything, not wanting to upset Lucy, and Lucy stayed silent, trying to avoid any thoughts.

"...Natsu?"

"Ya?"

"I'm...I..." Natsu spun around to look at her when he smelled the salty tears dripping from her eyes. His own widened and he walked to her and crushed her in a tight hug.

"Don't worry. He's not touching you again."

She sniffed and angrily wiped at her eyes, stepping back from him. "Why...Why do I feel so...why is this any different from any other time something like this has happened?" She laughed hollowly. "It's not the first time I've been targeted. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, right? First d...dad, then the stupid infinity clock, then when that minister guy had Yukino and me thrown in prison during the Games..." She walked over to her suitcase and slammed it shut. "Then...with...with the future Rogue..." She didn't see as Natsu stiffened, eyes dilated, mind repeating his dream from the other night. "Who knows. Maybe this time I _will_ kick the bucket. Only so many times you can squirm your way out once your number's up, right? At least I won't be anymore trouble f-" BAM!

Lucy spun around to see Natsu with his fist lit on fire, a huge hole in the wall. His back was to her, but she could clearly see how tense he was, and how furious.

"No." He snarled. "No. How can you...how can you even _say_ that? Why would you...think that...that that would...that I would..." His hands moved to grip his hair tightly, almost pulling it out from the roots. "Lucy...I...No! You...d-...I can't even say it! I can't even think it!" He fell to his knees, and Lucy just watched. She was struck speechless and immobile. She'd never seen Natsu like that before. "When Lisanna died, I didn't know what to do. I was angry, and sad, and empty...but...If you died..." He choked on the word. "Don't make jokes about that! Don't even think about it! Don't play it off as some possibility that...I don't know. Why would you say that?!" He turned to look at her. She stared back, mouth open slightly, eyes wide. His own widened in response. "...I'm...I'm scaring you again..." He looked to the floor. "I'm sorry, Luce. Just don't...please don't say things like that."

Lucy was silent for a few moments before stepping closer to him. "Natsu?"

He looked up at her.

"What...what's going on? What's wrong? This isn't like you." Now probably wasn't the time; Erza and Grey were probably waiting for them. But if she was going to be honest with herself, she needed a distraction. And helping Natsu was something she could do.

Natsu growled at himself. "I...I didn't want you to notice anything off. I've just been stupid." At that, Lucy let out a giggle. It wasn't to her normal standards, but it was real.

"Natsu, you're the biggest idiot I know. You're always being stupid."

"I resent that." He mumbled under his breath as she kneels next to him.

"Just tell me what's wrong."

"...I've been having...some bad dreams, is all. It's nothing, really."

"Don't lie to me. You've been losing weight and you're always looking exhausted. It's not nothing. Did I...did I do anything?"

"What? No! It's not you, Luce...It's...Well..." He didn't want to tell her. He'd rather do anything but tell her. He hadn't even told Happy, though he figured the cat had worked it out by now. His buddy wasn't stupid. But it seemed to distract Lucy, and right now, that's what she needed. A distraction. So he sighed and told her. "I've been having nightmares about...that. About when...when the future you di-...died..." He choked on the word again. "It wasn't that bad at first, but they've been getting worse. And I always wake up with this feeling that...that you're...gone. I know they're just dreams, but...I just can't shake the feeling like something's happened to you. That's...and the only thing that helps is when I see you in front of me. So I've been sneaking in through your window in the middle of the night." He tensed slightly, waiting for the expected Lucy Kick. But it never came. Instead...

"Is that why you were screaming the other night? When we were on the job?" She asked softly.

Natsu looked up at her sharply. He thought she hadn't woken up. "I...ya. Sorry... I didn't know I..." He sighed and rubbed his face. "I'm just being stupid."

"...Ya. You are." She said, and he looked down at his hands, ashamed. "We're partners. You're supposed to tell me these things."

Natsu blinked and looked up at her. Wait. She didn't think he was stupid for having nightmares about a future they had changed? "W...what?"

"Partners, idiot. You know, you saved my butt in Hargeon and ended up dragging me here while we were chased by royal soldiers, then you randomly declared we were partners to get me to go with you on that first mission. Any of that ring a bell? Not to mention all the other insane jobs you've dragged me on since? Come on. I didn't think you were _that _stupid." Natsu stared at her. She was back, and that made him happier than even her words. Though he couldn't put his finger on exactly why they made him so happy. But her smirk was there. The same one she wore whenever she teased him. And it was real. There was no force to it.

And because Lucy smiled, he smiled.

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><p><strong>Hello little punkins :D sorry about the long wait. I had a bit of writers block when it came to this chapter, so it isn't the best. Just kinda turned into a rather angsty word vomit. I deeply apologize for the whiny complainy angsty back and forth sympathy fest where no one was able to keep any sort of stable emotion. This was an interesting chapter. Originally I'd planned on a different conversation that led to a completely different outcome, and for Natsu's confrontation about the nightmares to come much later, but this just kinda...happened. I'll see how things turn out. It's rather rushed, so not as well put together as (hopefully) usual. Let me know what you guys think. I love feedback of any kind. It makes me a better writer.<strong>

**Keep the Reviews coming!**


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